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Quantitative study comparing network-based language teaching (NBTL) to traditional Spanish classes
Abstract
Most language teachers, even the self-proclaimed technologically challenged, use some kind of technology in their classrooms. During the last decade, studies on the use of technology for communication purposes or synchronous and asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) technology have proliferated around the globe. CMC technology has allowed native speakers of the target language into the second language (SL) classroom, transforming it into a real-world context environment. The objective of the study, informed by the information processing approach and the interaction hypothesis, is to compare traditional SL classes to network-based language teaching (NBLT) classes in order to assess whether the use of synchronous and asynchronous CMC technology in NBLT courses enhances language acquisition in the Spanish language class. It also aims to gather quantitative results in a discipline that is overwhelmingly informed by qualitative data. The researchers used the reading and listening sections of the Minnesota Language Proficiency Assessments (MLPA) as pre- and posttest, and analyzed data using a mixed model analysis of variance. From 2008 to 2010, researchers designed the procedures and guidelines to conduct this study. Results from the Spring semester 2011 show that CMC technology plays an important role in students' language learning given that reading and listening scores were significantly higher in the posttest in the NBLT classes compared to the traditional classes. The analysis of the results obtained in this study open new possibilities to further investigate the use of CMC technology in SL teaching-learning.
... Telecollaborative use of Internet communication tools helps develop students' communicative strategies and allows students to create learning communities outside the classroom. It also fosters bilingual social interaction, during which students both practice the target language and engage in cross-cultural analysis (Allen, 2004;Belz, 2003;Carney, 2006;Chun, 2011;Cubillos, Chieffo, & Fan, 2008;Darhower, 2006;Miranda-Aldaco, 2012;Moreno-L opez & Miranda-Aldaco, 2013;Pellettieri, 2000;Tudini, 2007). Darhower (2006) found that students actively constructed knowledge of their FL by using their first language in their chat communities, and that language use became a way for them to create social relationships with other participants. ...
The researchers used qualitative and quantitative instruments to measure students’ linguistic gains and their opinions and attitudes toward intercultural awareness while studying Spanish as a foreign language under four different pedagogical models: a traditional face-to-face classroom, face-to-face classes with a community-based learning component, face-to-face courses with an online telecollaborative language-learning component, and study abroad. Quantitative findings from two knowledge-based assessments indicated that students’ language learning was equivalent in all four pedagogical models. Students’ survey responses indicated that they believed that moving beyond traditional instructional models by adding classes with experiential learning boosted their second language acquisition and fueled their curiosity about cultural similarities and differences. Qualitative findings also confirmed that students’ engagement was higher in the experiential models.
Telecollaboration is a type of online learning arrangement between geographically distant participants for the development of language and intercultural competence. After two decades of research, it is an apt time to engage in a systematic review of previous studies in the form of a scoping review in order to illuminate the pedagogical practices commonly used in telecollaboration. The study synthesized 55 distinct telecollaboration projects that took place in university foreign-language classes and utilized synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) tools to answer (1) What are the typical arrangements of SCMC-based telecollaboration (e.g., participants, project set-ups, and interaction set-ups)? and (2) How have SCMC-based telecollaboration projects changed over the last two decades? We identified six commonly adopted arrangements of SCMC-based telecollaboration. We also found that, while certain pedagogical practices in telecollaboration have matured, the field is undergoing reconceptualization and expansion with the advancement of technology and diversification of participants. We conclude the article with suggestions regarding reporting practices in telecollaboration research, thereby enabling more rigorous synthesis in the future.
This experimental study offers empirical evidence of the effect of the computer-mediated environment on the linguistic output of low proficiency learners. The subjects were 32 female undergraduates with high and low proficiency in ESL. A within-subject repeated measures concurrent nested QUAN-qual (Creswell, 2003) mixed methods approach was used. Interactions between the subjects in mixed ability dyads in face-to-face (F2F) and synchronous computer-assisted (SCA) environments provide the data. The unit of analysis was negotiation of meaning (Varonis & Gass, 1985) which is the key construct that is claimed to promote second language acquisition (SLA). The evidence indicates that opportunities for SLA for low proficiency learners are enhanced with the occurrences of negotiation of meaning in both SCA and F2F environments. In particular, the SCA allowed for varied syntactic and semantic modifications which provided ample opportunities for low proficiency learners to negotiate for comprehensible input and to notice form.
This paper describes an intercontinental project with the use of interactive tools, both synchronous and asynchronous, which was set up to internationalize academic learning of Spanish language and culture. The objective of this case study was to investigate whether video-web communication tools can contribute to enriching the quality of foreign language curricula, by facilitating a motivating virtual communication environment for purposeful interaction between non native and native speakers of Spanish to accomplish learning tasks. The project was carried out between a class of twenty Spanish as foreign language students from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, and a class of twenty Chilean trainee Spanish teachers from the University of Concepción, Chile. Students interacted weekly, over two months, in dyads and small groups making use of a video-web communication tool, Adobe Connect. The video-web communication tool enabled synchronous interactions, during which participants could see each other while talking and sharing audiovisual documents on-line. A blog was also used to promote collaboration, reflection and exchange of ideas about issues raised during the synchronous sessions. Qualitative data was collected through a questionnaire, analysis of recordings of learners' interaction sessions and the project blog. Results show a positive impact on motivation and on learning outcomes, particularly regarding understanding of the use of language in given contexts, and of cultural issues.
This study investigates the impact of an online workbook on the attitudes of 245 second language (L2) Spanish learners toward this pedagogical tool over two consecutive semesters. The treatment consisted of four hours of classroom instruction and one set of online homework per week, during two consecutive semesters. Students' attitudes toward the electronic workbook were measured by means of a survey administered after eight months of exposure to the workbook. The qualitative data of the survey was compared to quantitative data from two different language assessment tests. The results of these tests indicated a significant increase in grammar scores. These results are consonant with the positive findings of student perceptions about the online workbook obtained in this and previous studies, emphasizing its benefits in terms of accessibility to the material, user-friendliness, and instant error feedback. More importantly, most students praised the usefulness of the online workbook for language learning, particularly in the areas of grammar and vocabulary acquisition. Despite participants' mostly positive attitudes, the survey also revealed some negative aspects of the use of the online workbook, such as the amount of time needed to complete the online exercises. This paper addresses these issues, and provides suggestions to overcome this type of problem.
A naturalistic experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) can indirectly improve L2 oral pro-ficiency by developing the same cognitive mechanisms underlying spontaneous conversational speech. The theoretical framework guiding this inquiry consists of Levelt's (1989) model of language production augmented by concepts from Working Memory theory. The findings show a significant difference between the experimental and control groups oral proficiency development with participants in the experimental condition (two of four contact hours per week were in a chatroom) scoring higher than participants in the control condition. Implications for language instruction and the second language oral proficiency development for different types of learners are discussed.
Although the foreign-language profession routinely stresses the importance of technology for the curriculum, many teachers still harbor deep-seated doubts as to whether or not a hybrid course, much less a completely distance-learning class, could provide L2 learners with a way to reach linguistic proficiency, especially with respect to oral language skills. In this study, we examine the case of Spanish Without Walls (SWW), a first-year language course offered at the University of California - Davis in both hybrid and distance-learning formats. The SWW curriculum includes materials delivered via CD-ROM/DVD programs, online content-based web pages, and synchronous bimodal chat that includes sound and text. The contribution of each of these components is evaluated in the context of a successful technologically assisted course. To address the issue of oral proficiency, we compare the results from both classroom and distance-learning students who took the 20-minute Versant for Spanish test, delivered by phone and automatically graded. The data generated by this instrument shows that classroom, hybrid, and distance L2 learners reach comparable levels of oral proficiency during their first year of study. Reference is also made to two other ongoing efforts to provide distance-learning courses in Arabic and Punjabi, two languages where special difficulties in their writing systems have an impact on the design of the distant-learning format. The rationale for offering language courses in either a hybrid or distance-learning format is examined in light of increasing societal pressures to help L2 learners reach advanced proficiency, especially in less commonly taught languages (LCTLs).
This study examined the capacity of text-based online chat to promote learners’ noticing of their problematic language productions and of the interactional feedback from their interlocutors. In this study, twelve ESL learners formed six mixed-proficiency dyads. The same dyads worked on two spot-the-difference tasks, one via online chat and the other through face-to-face conversation. Stimulated recall sessions were held subsequently to identify instances of noticing. It was found that text-based online chat promotes noticing more than face-to-face conversations, especially in terms of learners’ noticing of their own linguistic mistakes.
Blogs and podcasts open new ways for global communication and development of intercultural awareness. This article reports a Spanish–American telecollaborative project through which students created blogs and podcasts for intercultural exchanges in light of the sociocultural perspectives. The article outlines the methodology for the project including pedagogical objectives, task design, selection of web tools and implementation. Using qualitative data collection, the study explored how students collaboratively created blogs and podcasts using task-based activities and how blogs and podcasts facilitated cross-cultural exchanges. How the use of Web 2.0 tools affected the way in which the students viewed intercultural communication was examined. The findings showed that effective use of task-based instruction created a dynamic climate for interactive collaboration and afforded unique opportunities for both American and Spanish students to explore the target language and culture. The study suggests that building interpersonal relationships and making personal commitment to online contributions are vital to successful intercultural exchanges.
Studies of L2 classroom interaction suggest that co-operative and comprehensible interactions facilitate L2 learning. The nature of the L2 classroom environment with its less imposing con-texts, however, has restricted the range of interaction that occurs among learners of the same proficiency level (Ellis, 1991). Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) may provide potential benefits for L2 learning because it provides a broader range of interactions, among NS–NNS and NNS–NNS with different levels of proficiency. CMC is, however, a newly invented variety of interaction and has unique linguistic and interactional features (e.g., interactive text-based discourse and no turn taking competition) which are distinct from both written and oral interactions. This study explores the L2 learners' interactions in CMC qualitatively to clarify to what extent CMC is actually a useful device for L2 learning. This study examines how Japanese as a foreign language learners actually interact in Internet Chat (IC) and reports that L2 learners' strategies in CMC take advantage of distinct linguistic and interactional features of IC. The results indicate that CMC provides potential benefits for learning: facilitating comprehensible and contextualized interaction, learners' self-correction, and collaborative learning environment.
Language teachers actively seek to provide their students with classroom opportunities to engage in collaborative interactions. Similar opportunities for such interactions can also be created within the context of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and, in particular, in the area of computer-mediated communication (CMC)—whether in real time (synchronous, SCMC) or deferred time (asynchronous, ACMC)—working together with other nonnative- (NNS) or native-speaker (NS) partners. Recent advances in intelligent CALL (iCALL) are also beginning to empower students to engage in online activities with computer applications that provide at least limited levels of feedback, if not some palpable degree of interactivity. This article will review the reported benefits of online language study with particular emphasis on the importance of providing a sound pedagogical framework for the tasks and activities that students are asked to accomplish. In pursuit of effective CALL, researchers have previously stressed the role of online negotiations of meaning via CMC, intercultural communicative competence, and electronic literacy and identity. Although these topics continue to be of great interest for the CALL field, other areas are attracting attention as well: iCALL, distance learning, and teacher training. CALL researchers are increasingly finding that teachers' lack of experience with using technology—that is, their inability to take into account its affordances as well as its engrained cultures of use—can often present the most serious barrier to its successful integration into the language curriculum.
This article seeks to contribute to the ongoing exploration of computer-assisted language learning (CALL), in particular synchronous computer-mediated communi-cation (CMC) used in a university environment, and attempts to find answers to the following two research questions: (a) How is the level of participation in commu-nicative interactions distributed among participants? and (b) What kind of language is the language learner engaged in during small chatroom sessions in comparison to small-group face-to-face sessions? This study compared the level of participation among 27 students and contrasted their written German chatroom discourse with their oral discourse produced in small face-to-face discussion groups. 1 First, the level of participation was measured by coding the data with communication units, or c-units. Second, the overall level of participation among groups with five students was compared to groups with only four students. Finally, the study investigated the language levels produced in both discussion modes by applying a scale of language stages as described by Tschirner (1996).
Foreign language learners purportedly demonstrate intercultural communicative competence in NS chat rooms through self-initiated negotiation sequences, including those triggered by pragmatic issues and cultural content. This study identified and classified one-to-one NS–learner negotiations between intermediate learners and NS of Italian in Web-based chat rooms. Classifications included (a) self-initiated negotiation moves (Shehadeh, 2001), such as questions concerning the target culture, and (b) indicators of skills of discovery and interaction required by the “intercultural speaker” in informal face-to-face contexts (Byram, 1997). The study also presents an intercultural model of negotiation that facilitates identifying cultural and pragmatic triggers by taking account of possible overlap with lexical triggers. The findings indicate that with minor pedagogical intervention, learner-initiated negotiation sequences are indeed a feature of one-to-one NS–learner chat interactions conducted in a noninstructed setting, with many learners actively seeking clarification on the target language and culture from their NS partners. In this way they avoid dysfunction and demonstrate intercultural communicative competence. These data have pedagogical implications for informal immersion experiences, such as residence abroad, for which learners are not always adequately prepared through standard classroom interaction patterns. They also suggest that negotiation strategies, as defined in this study, could be practiced before departure, with NS chat room experiences providing a form of virtual immersion and socialization experience in preparation for in-country “experience[s] of otherness” (Byram, 1997, p. 70).
It has been frequently suggested that computer–mediated–communication (CMC) can help learners improve their oral proficiency. This study tested that suggestion by comparing the performance of 3 groups of learners (a control group, a synchronous CMC group, and an asynchronous CMC group) on 3 oral discussions tasks during the course of 1 semester. The number of idea units and words, the lexical richness and diversity, and the syntactic complexity of learner language served as dependent variables. Although this study confirmed a previously reported increase in quantity of language produced by students in the synchronous CMC group compared to the other two groups, the asynchronous CMC group did not outperform the control group. Furthermore, analyses of the quality of language indicated no significant differences among the 3 groups either lexically or syntactically.
This paper reports the types of modification devices the NNSs of Intermediate level of proficiency employed during synchronous online exchanges. A total of 34 students participated in weekly online discussions using the “Virtual Classroom” provided by the Blackboard. The results show that request for help (63 times), clarification check (59 times) and self-correction (55 times) were the most used strategies for negotiation among the students. Data from this study suggest that these modification devices facilitate comprehension of input and output and enhance the negotiation for both meaning and form. The rapid synchronous exchanges among NNSs tend to encourage fluency rather than accuracy. Students in this study appeared to be interested in exchanging ideas rather than trying to correct linguistic mistakes. Despite the importance of promoting communication and fluency, which is the key for SLA, students should be advised of the need to write correctly to maintain a balance between function, content, and accuracy. The current study focused on the types of modification devices used by NNSs through synchronous online communication. A comparison of the negotiation strategies used via synchronous communication with those used via asynchronous discussions is need.
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Goucher College, Department of Hispanic Languages, Literatures and Cultures. Van Meter 153, 1021 Dulaney Road
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Dirección de contacto: Isabel Moreno-López. Goucher College, Department of Hispanic
Languages, Literatures and Cultures. Van Meter 153, 1021 Dulaney Road; 21204-2794
E-mail: imoreno@goucher
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Baltimore, Maryland, Estados Unidos. E-mail: imoreno@goucher.edu